When I think of Arya Stark from Game of Thrones I think about her heroic journey, the incredible action she was involved in and some of GOT’s most violent deaths. Someone who is not on my mind in the slightest when I think of Maisie Williams' time on the fantasy epic is Sarah Jessica Parker, yes you read that correctly. However, for the actress who played the young Stark in the Game of Thrones cast the Sex and the City star and her perfume are deeply connected to her time on the HBO drama.
So, while chatting with Williams about playing Catherine Dior in the 2024 TV schedule’s historical drama The New Look, she told me the sweet story behind why SJP’s scent brings her back to this pivotal time in her life.
If you have done any research on Catherine Dior, you’ll quickly learn that she was believed to be the inspiration for Christian Dior’s perfume Miss Dior, as Vogue wrote. So, when I had the chance to speak with Maisie Williams about playing the designer's younger sister in Apple TV+’s The New Look, I asked if there was a special scent in her life that carries significant meaning. Her answer connected back to her days on Game of Thrones in a fun way as she told me:
So the first time I got a perfume that I really loved, I smelt it on one of the costume girls on Game of Thrones. She was dressing me and she smelled so amazing. And I said, ‘What is that?’ And she said ‘It’s Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely.’ And then that became my scent from the age of maybe like, 14 until like 20. And I still actually, I still have a bottle. And I love to just occasionally just like, remember that time in my life, you know? But yeah, Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely. She's an icon, and she makes incredible perfume.
Scent memories can be super impactful, and in an instant, a smell can transport you back to a specific time in your life. Personally, I love that it’s Sarah Jessica Parker’s perfume Lovely that does this for Williams. While she didn’t mention if she’s a fan of Sex and The City or And Just Like That… SJP's product obviously made a huge impact on the young actress, and now whenever she smells it, it takes her right back to the 2010s and her time on Game of Thrones.
You can stream The New Look with an Apple TV+ subscription, and you can go back and watch Game of Thrones with a Max subscription.
Maisie Williams was only 14 years old when she started working on Game of Thrones. It was her first role ever, and to this day her portrayal of Arya Stark is considered iconic. The actress literally grew up on the sets of the HBO fantasy epic, and like her character, she matured and got stronger before our eyes.
Transitioning away from Game of Thrones was a struggle for Williams after it ended in 2019. However, now she’s thriving. In 2021 she started her podcast Frank Film Club with Maisie Williams, which is still happening, and in 2022 she starred in the min-series Pistol. Now, she’s helping lead The New Look alongside her co-star and GOT super-fan Ben Mendelsohn as well as powerhouses Juliette Binoche and John Malkovich.
Now, maybe the Miss Dior scent can bring Maisie Williams back to her work on one of Apple TV+’s best shows of late, while Sarah Jessica Parker’s perfume continues to remind her of her legendary days on Game of Thrones.
